bachelorThesis
Exploring the phylogeographic patterns and genetic diversity of urban cockroaches (Dictyoptera:Blattodea) of Bogota, Colombia.
Autor
De Martino Fonseca, Frasella Paola
Institución
Resumen
Cockroaches are one of the most successful insects on the planet, due to morphological and physiological adaptations which allow them to have a wide distribution. Some species can inhabit human dwellings, spread diseases and microorganisms’ reason why they are considered domiciliary pests. Here, I wanted to identify the species of urban cockroaches living in three localities of Bogotá D.C; establish their phylogenetic relationships to other populations across the world and explore the genetic diversity and genetic population structure among the three localities. To accomplish these goals, I used two mtDNA amplicons: the ribosomal 16S (~400bp) fragment and the barcode gene COI (~600bp). I collected a total of 44 individuals across the localities sampled: Bosa, Kennedy, and Chapinero. From those, I molecularly identify 1 individual of Periplaneta americana, 1 of Periplaneta brunnea and 42 individuals of Blattella germanica. The phylogenetic reconstructions didn’t show a clear geographical pattern of relatedness for the three species, consistent with human-mediated dispersion. For the most common species, Blattella germanica, I was able to establish genetic diversity and population differentiation across the three localities within the city. Our results suggest, a high genetic diversity for the COI gene, however, this diversity was not explained by the geographical proximity of the populations. Finally, the population structure FST among these populations indicates an existent genetic flow across the evaluated localities in the city, which may indicate that cities do not represent a barrier and that human-mediated transport could be helping in the genetic exchange for these populations.